Photos by Ham Wallace.
Monday is typically the least anticipated day of the week, but you wouldn’t know that by looking at the Happy Hour menus of restaurants in downtown Colorado Springs.
Mondays draw almost triple the amount of average nightly customers at Fujiyama, a local sushi restaurant at 22 S. Tejon Street, according to assistant manager AJ Allen. While Fujiyama offers a variety deals each day of the week – from 20 percent off sushi to two-for-one glasses of wine – on Mondays from 5 to 6 p.m., the eatery offers 5 percent off everything.
Signature and specialty rolls that regularly range from $5.99 to $18.99 can be purchased for half the price during this hour on Mondays, which usually garners a line out the door. Moreover, all menu items, from appetizers, to bento boxes, to drinks, are half off.
Allen describes the restaurant as “filling up right off the bat” and being “pretty crazy” – the busiest shift the staff deals with all week. The average Monday rush at Fujiyama sees about 150 customers, a stark contrast with the normal attendance of about 50 to 100 customers between 6:00 and 9:30 p.m.
According to Allen, the benefits of the deal definitely outweigh the costs. While the business could be hurting from the discounts on kitchen food, Fujiyama surely benefits from sushi and alcohol sales.
The special is particularly popular among Colorado College students. “My friends and I went every Monday freshman year,” said senior Leslie Muzzy. “If you’re craving sushi, it’s always a great place to go.”
Another restaurant that seeks to make Mondays brighter is Nosh. Located at 121 S. Tejon Street, the downtown restaurant and bar says their focus is on “delivering new experiences in flavor, sight, and sound.” Nosh serves a combination of small plates, appetizers, and larger entrées, each with unique flavor profiles.
Nosh offers a Happy Hour menu every Tuesday through Friday from 3 to 6 p.m., but on Mondays, Nosh expands its hours for “Happier Mondays,” from 3 to 8 p.m. The menu consists of half-price food and drink options, though on Mondays the Happy Hour menu is the only menu available.
The Monday menu includes shareable starters, such as edamame and calamari ($2.50 to $3.75), soups or salads ($4 to $8), and small plates, including crispy Korean wings ($8), the Nosh burger ($7), and green chili cheese fries ($5)
As for drinks, Nosh offers local draft beer from Bristol Brewing Company for just $2.50, wells and mixers for $3, cocktails and martinis for anywhere between $4 and $6, and wines starting at $3.
“It wouldn’t be a full week without having a little Nosh in it,” said senior Britta Holum. “Happier Mondays are definitely made the happiest with a few Nosh cosmos.”
So next time you’re feeling the Monday blues, head downtown to take advantage of great local offerings!
Emma Volk, Guest Writer